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China-based startup Epigenic Therapeutics, a clinical-stage innovative drug development company, has announced the completion of a $60 million Series B round of financing led by Lapam Capital, with continued participation from existing investors Qiming Venture Partners and OrbiMed, and addition of new investors including IFSC and a renowned investment firm in the industry.
This round of funding will primarily support the ongoing clinical development of EPI-003 for chronic hepatitis B functional cure and EPI-001 for hypercholesterolemia treatment. Additionally, the fund will accelerate the advancement of multiple preclinical programs and further strengthen the company's technology platforms, providing strong momentum for Epigenic's deep commitment to innovation of epigenetic medicine.
As a pioneering biotechnology company dedicated to developing next-generation gene modulation therapy utilising epigenome regulation to treat prevalent diseases, Epigenic has consistently remained at the forefront of the industry. Its proprietary EPIREG™ technology platform enables efficient, durable, and specific silencing of target genes through precise DNA methylation and histone modification. Unlike traditional gene-editing tools that rely on DNA cleavage, EPIREG™ offers a safer and revolutionary therapeutic approach for patients with chronic diseases, effectively mitigating safety concerns associated with conventional gene editing.
Notably, Epigenic has independently developed EpiTax™, an in-vivo LNP delivery platform, to precisely deliver EPIREG™ tools to the liver as well as multiple extrahepatic organs. This further expands the application scope of EPIREG™ across a broader range of disease areas, further enhancing Epigenic's technology portfolio and competitive edge.
In addition, the AIAID™ platform developed by Epigenic empowers the molecular design, target selection, and precise modulation of epigenetic medicine. The platform is equipped with a self-developed foundational model for epigenetics, providing precise core data and algorithm support. The multi-agent collaborative virtual lab autonomously performs tasks such as target discovery, target investigation, accessibility prediction, sgRNA design and evaluation, virtual epigenetic modulation, and multi-omics analysis. Furthermore, the platform utilises AI-driven de novo protein design and AI-directed evolution to accelerate the discovery, iteration, and optimization of EPIREG™.
